(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a planetary coiler for depositing a sliver in a stationary can.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional planetary coiler, a rotary disc rotatable with respect to a stationary frame is disposed concentrically with a stationary can located below and a turn plate is disposed eccentrically with this rotary disc so that the turn plate is received by the rotary disc. Accordingly, the turn plate revolves round the can while turning on its axis, and sliver delivered through a sliver guide tube attached to the turn plate is deposited in the can while being coiled.
Recently, sizes of cans have been increased to hold large quantities of sliver. Large cans are difficult to rotate so the demand for planetary coilers is increasing while conventional relatively small cans are still used. Accordingly, in designing spinning machines (such as carding and combing machines), it is necessary to adopt a planetary coiler capable of easily changing the diameter of coiling according to the size of a can to be used and also the thickness of depositing sliver in a large can. This change or adjustment of the diameter of coiling is necessary not only when the can diameter is changed but also in order to cope with the change in the apparent thickness of sliver caused by changes of spinning conditions such as the degree of condensing the thickness of the sliver, the grain number (that is, thickness of sliver) and the kind of material fibers, in order to deposit large quantities of sliver precisely in cans.
As means developed to meet the above mentioned need, U.S. Pat. No. 3,345,701 proposed an apparatus in which the eccentric position of the turn plate with respect to the rotary disc (concentric with a can) can be adjusted. The structure of the apparatus disclosed in this patent is very complex and is difficult to operate at high speed. Further, the adjustment of the eccentric position of the turn plate in the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,345,701 is very troublesome, and this apparatus has a fatal defect in that it is substantially impossible to provide for adjustment of the can diameter over a broad range (910 to 1020 mm).
As means for eliminating the drawbacks involved in the conventional apparatus, there has been proposed an apparatus in which a slide plate (coiler plate) is attached to a rotary disc (wheel) so that linear movement of the slide plate for adjustment is possible, a turn plate is mounted on this slide plate, a supporting member of a calender roller is attached to the slide plate, and rotation is transmitted to the turn plate and calender roll through an internal gear attached concentrically to the rotary disc, to which rotation is transmitted from a stationary drive source (see Japanese patent application Laid-Open Specification No. 72624/76). In this apparatus, since a contact line is formed between the rotary disc and slide plate, it is possible for a sliver to be caught by this contact line, so that fibers intrude into contact gaps formed along the contact line. Accordingly, the coiling operation cannot be carried out in good condition. Further, because of the presence of the rotary disc, the diameter of the stationary frame must be increased, causing the structure of the machine to be complex and the size to be increased.
Still further, in this apparatus, since an upper rotary disc for supporting the rotary disc on the stationary frame is supported on the top face of the stationary frame by a vertical roller, and heavy a coiler plate and turn plate, and the like, are supported on this upper rotary disc, the load imposed on the vertical roller is quite large and a compressive force is inevitably applied to the entire mechanism. Accordingly, the apparatus makes it impossible to perform the spinning operation stably.
Moreover, in this device, since an annular gear is supported on the top face of the stationary frame by the vertical roller and centering is performed by a horizontal roller, there is a defect in that centering of the annular gear with respect to the rotary disc cannot be performed precisely.